Fostering mathematical modeling through lesson study

Cirillo, MichelleThe Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) suggested that mathematical modeling, an important mathematical process, be incorporated into school mathematics. However, due to sparse resources for teaching mathematical modeling in the United States (Gould, 2013), it is expected that teachers need support to teach mathematical modeling. Turner et al. (2014) suggested that lesson study can support the implementation of mathematical modeling. Moreover, lesson study has been found to influence improvements in teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, beliefs, and attention to student thinking (Lewis, Perry, & Hurd, 2009). ☐ To address this issue, qualitative methods were employed to investigate how lesson study on mathematical modeling that made use of the “Five Practices” for orchestrating mathematical discussions (Stein, Engle, Smith, & Hughes, 2008) supported three secondary teachers’ efforts to teach mathematical modeling. Additionally, the teacher participants were interviewed before and after the lesson study about their conceptions of teaching mathematical modeling. ☐ The findings reveal how the teachers: anticipated valid and emerging student responses for a modeling task, used the five practices to ask questions and provide guidance to advance student thinking, and focused on student thinking to refine lesson plans. Also, the interview data provided evidence of ways in which the teachers’ conceptions of teaching mathematical modeling evolved with respect to their views on mathematical modeling tasks and the benefits and challenges of teaching mathematical modeling. These findings indicate that lesson study can support the teaching of mathematical modeling.University of Delaware, School of EducationPh.D